Special Collections

The First Blade of Sweetgrass

Selected for the Notable Social Studies 2022 List Named to ALA Notable Children's Books 2022 In this Own Voices Native American picture book story, a modern Wabanaki girl is excited to accompany her grandmother for the first time to harvest sweetgrass for basket making. Musquon must overcome her impatience while learning to distinguish sweetgrass from other salt marsh grasses, but slowly the spirit and peace of her surroundings speak to her, and she gathers sweetgrass as her ancestors have done for centuries, leaving the first blade she sees to grow for future generations. This sweet, authentic story from a Maliseet mother and her Passamaquoddy husband includes backmatter about traditional basket making and a Wabanaki glossary.

Date Added: 05/16/2023

A Snake Falls to Earth

Nina is a Lipan girl in our world. She's always felt there was something more out there. She still believes in the old stories.Oli is a cottonmouth kid, from the land of spirits and monsters. Like all cottonmouths, he's been cast from home. He's found a new one on the banks of the bottomless lake.Nina and Oli have no idea the other exists. But a catastrophic event on Earth, and a strange sickness that befalls Oli's best friend, will drive their worlds together in ways they haven't been in centuries.And there are some who will kill to keep them apart.Darcie Little Badger introduced herself to the world with Elatsoe. In A Snake Falls to Earth, she draws on traditional Lipan Apache storytelling structure to weave another unforgettable tale of monsters, magic, and family. It is not to be missed.

Date Added: 10/22/2023

Ten Little Rabbits

Weaving, fishing, and storytelling are all part of this spirited book that celebrates Native American traditions as it teaches young children to count from one to ten. The book's whimsical illustrations, reminiscent of Beatrix Potter, glow with brilliant color and are filled with fascinating detail. Each number introduces a facet of traditional Native American culture, such as Pueblo corn dances or Navajo weaving, and the simple, rhyming text is enhanced by a brief afterword on Native American customs. Ideal for storytime or bedtime, this is a book sure to leave children counting rabbits instead of sheep. Plus, this is the fixed format version, which will look almost identical to the print version. Additionally for devices that support audio, this ebook includes a read-along setting.

Date Added: 10/22/2023

Code Talker

"Readers who choose the book for the attraction of Navajo code talking and the heat of battle will come away with more than they ever expected to find."--Booklist, starred review Throughout World War II, in the conflict fought against Japan, Navajo code talkers were a crucial part of the U.S. effort, sending messages back and forth in an unbreakable code that used their native language. They braved some of the heaviest fighting of the war, and with their code, they saved countless American lives. Yet their story remained classified for more than twenty years. But now Joseph Bruchac brings their stories to life for young adults through the riveting fictional tale of Ned Begay, a sixteen-year-old Navajo boy who becomes a code talker. His grueling journey is eye-opening and inspiring. This deeply affecting novel honors all of those young men, like Ned, who dared to serve, and it honors the culture and language of the Navajo Indians.An ALA Best Book for Young Adults"Nonsensational and accurate, Bruchac's tale is quietly inspiring..."--School Library JournalFrom the Trade Paperback edition.

Date Added: 10/22/2023

Fry Bread

Winner of the 2020 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book MedalA 2020 American Indian Youth Literature Picture Book Honor Winner“A wonderful and sweet book . . . Lovely stuff.” —The New York Times Book Review Told in lively and powerful verse by debut author Kevin Noble Maillard, Fry Bread is an evocative depiction of a modern Native American family, vibrantly illustrated by Pura Belpre Award winner and Caldecott Honoree Juana Martinez-Neal. Fry bread is food.It is warm and delicious, piled high on a plate.Fry bread is time.It brings families together for meals and new memories.Fry bread is nation.It is shared by many, from coast to coast and beyond.Fry bread is us.It is a celebration of old and new, traditional and modern, similarity and difference.A 2020 Charlotte Huck Recommended BookA Publishers Weekly Best Picture Book of 2019A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of 2019A School Library Journal Best Picture Book of 2019A Booklist 2019 Editor's ChoiceA Shelf Awareness Best Children's Book of 2019A Goodreads Choice Award 2019 SemifinalistA Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book of 2019A National Public Radio (NPR) Best Book of 2019An NCTE Notable Poetry BookA 2020 NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young PeopleA 2020 ALA Notable Children's BookA 2020 ILA Notable Book for a Global Society 2020 Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Books of the Year ListOne of NPR's 100 Favorite Books for Young ReadersNominee, Pennsylvania Young Readers Choice Award 2022-2022Nominee, Illinois Monarch Award 2022

Date Added: 05/16/2023

Annie and the Old One

Annie is a young Navajo girl who refuses to believe that her grandmother, the Old One, will die. Sadly, Annie learns that she cannot change the course of life.

Newbery Medal Honor book

Date Added: 10/22/2023

The Wampanoag

If you're a history buff and want to find out what America was like before European explorers arrived, read this enthralling series on American Indians.

Filled with true tales of traditions and history, tragedy and triumph, each book focuses on a distinct group of American Indians and explores what their life was like before, during, and after Europeans arrived on the continent.

Complete with images and explanations of how different peoples made their homes, food, and clothes, as well as led their groups, played games, and schooled their young, the books take the reader through to modern times, exploring current culture and identity.

Date Added: 05/16/2023

From Tadpole to Frog

This book explains the life cycle of a frog right from eggs to tadpoles to frogs.

Date Added: 05/16/2023

If I Ever Get Out of Here

"A heart-healing, mocs-on-the-ground story of music, family and friendship." -- Cynthia Leitich Smith, author of Tantalize and Rain is Not My Indian Name.Lewis "Shoe" Blake is used to the joys and difficulties of life on the Tuscarora Indian reservation in 1975: the joking, the Fireball games, the snow blowing through his roof. What he's not used to is white kids being nice to him -- kids like George Haddonfield, whose family recently moved to town with the Air Force. As the boys connect through their mutual passion for music, especially the Beatles, Lewis has to lie more and more to hide the reality of his family's poverty from George. He also has to deal with the vicious Evan Reininger, who makes Lewis the special target of his wrath. But when everyone else is on Evan's side, how can he be defeated? And if George finds out the truth about Lewis's home -- will he still be his friend? Acclaimed adult author Eric Gansworth makes his YA debut with this wry and powerful novel about friendship, memory, and the joy of rock 'n' roll.

Date Added: 10/22/2023

Elatsoe

A National Indie BestsellerTIME's Best 100 Fantasy Books of All TimeAn NPR Best Book of 2020A Booklist's Top 10 First Novel for YouthA BookPage Best Book of 2020A CPL "Best of the Best" BookA Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2020A Buzzfeed Best YA SFF Book of 2020A Shelf Awareness Best Book of 2020An AICL Best YA Book of 2020A Kirkus Best YA Book of 2020A Tor Best Book of 2020PRAISE"Groundbreaking." —TIME"Deeply enjoyable from start to finish." —NPR"Utterly magical." —SyFyWire"Atmospheric and lyrical...a gorgeous work of art." —BuzzFeed"One of the best YA debuts of 2020. Read it." —Marieke NijkampFIVE STARRED REVIEWS★ "A fresh voice and perspective." —Booklist, starred review★ "A unique and powerful Native American voice." —BookPage, starred review★ "A brilliant, engaging debut." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review★ "A fast-paced murder mystery." —Publishers Weekly, starred review★ "A Lipan Apache Sookie Stackhouse for the teen set." —Shelf-Awareness, starred reviewA Texas teen comes face-to-face with a cousin's ghost and vows to unmask the murderer.Elatsoe—Ellie for short—lives in an alternate contemporary America shaped by the ancestral magics and knowledge of its Indigenous and immigrant groups. She can raise the spirits of dead animals—most importantly, her ghost dog Kirby. When her beloved cousin dies, all signs point to a car crash, but his ghost tells her otherwise: He was murdered.Who killed him and how did he die? With the help of her family, her best friend Jay, and the memory great, great, great, great, great, great grandmother, Elatsoe, must track down the killer and unravel the mystery of this creepy town and its dark past. But will the nefarious townsfolk and a mysterious Doctor stop her before she gets started?A breathtaking debut novel featuring an asexual, Apache teen protagonist, Elatsoe combines mystery, horror, noir, ancestral knowledge, haunting illustrations, fantasy elements, and is one of the most-talked about debuts of the year.

Date Added: 10/22/2023